Ponikarovsky was a member of the Devils team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. In 33 regular-season games, he scored seven goals. But he became an unrestricted free agent after the season and signed one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Jets.

The trade was spurred by the impending loss of Dainius Zubrus, who will have exploratory wrist surgery on Thursday and could miss up to a month.

"There is no question that played a factor in doing something aggressively at this time," general manager Lou Lamoriello told the Star-Ledger. "We don't know what the results will be. It could be anywhere from two to eight weeks. That we won't know until the next 48 hours."

Ponikarovsky was off to a slow start with the Jets, scoring only two goals in 12 games.

"I was surprised and excited at the same time," Ponikarovsky said of the trade. "Basically I know the team and the way they play. It kind of suits me. I can't really control the trade. The only thing I can do is play the way I played before."